Parents of Durham freshers 2025

[MillicentFaucet]

We've chatted on a different threads over the past few months so do any anxious/excited/slightly overwhelmed parents want to congregate here for Durham chat?
My DS will be starting an MEng next month and has been allocated to Cuths 🐯(but no confirmation of what type of accommodation he has yet).
He's slowly working his way through registration etc and fretting about the important things like what to wear for matriculation <sigh>
How's everyone else getting on?

Not a fresher as my daughter starting second year at another college at Durham but she's volunteering as a frep (helping with freshers) and just wanted to say your son has picked an excellent place to study and my daughter has had nothing but good experiences. Hoping the same for your son - very exciting.

Aw thank you @Menopausalsourpuss that's great to hear.
We are locals and the university is about 10mins walk from his 6th form but he's still really excited to go. He's even chosen to live in college for first year despite the high chance he'll have to share a room!

My daughter is staring in September too. She's going to Collingwood to study sports science. Very excited for her but apprehensive about all the changes it will bring .

I am wondering about drop off. I can see online some colleges have listed registration on saturday the 27th with ‘drop off and club night’ on the sunday, others only have the sunday listed. Do they stagger so some colleges arrive saturday and some sunday? Thanks

The apprehension is understandable, especially if it's the first time or you live far away. My eldest is at Bath so we don't tend to see him except for holiday times. It was very difficult for the first term but he had a great bunch of flatmates & obviously loved his course which helped me to stop stressing.

They are staggered and the Bailey colleges are restricted to Sunday drop off as a one way system is created on the peninsula and Prebends Bridge is opened to traffic for the day.
Which college will your DC be at?

@MillicentFaucet thanks, Collingwood. Cld do with some certainty as will need to book overnight accommodation, and already know that’s going to be tricky.

Yes the hotels book up fast, might be worth booking now for somewhere that you can amend/cancel. Especially if you want to stay in the town itself

Checking in! My daughter will be at Grey college studying Chemistry. She’s less than keen on Grey (when we visited it we both said it smelt like a church hall!) but accepting that everyone says you learn to love your college. No word yet on when she needs to arrive, I did see hardly any accommodation is available in the Sat night already!

Checking in. Computer science here, staying at Hild Bede.

👋hi there
I think Grey is nice and handy for the science site and the botanic gardens so I'm sure she will come to love it.

DS has just ran in & given me a bear hug - he's been allocated a single room on the Bailey which is what he wanted.
Potential roommates have been spared his scattergun approach to dirty laundry lol

My DS has just finished his first year at Durham. He’s also going to be. Feel so will be there the week before setting stuff up and working long hours to ensure the Feps have a good time and make it home to their beds. I think there’s a club type night and a quieter event each night in every college, so something for everyone.
My DS found the ‘course night’ really good - where they met the others in their college doing their course. Next year in 2nd year he’s living with course mates who were also in his college.
I remember this phase of the interminable logging-in and registering for things phase where the instructions don’t seem quite clear. . Has everyone had colleges confirmed - last year most seemed to hear about colleges fairly early after results.
Top tip - a couple of fancy dress costumes and/oe some generic items like a flower garland, hats or other items that can be used are good for the many fancy dress events that seem to happen.
Another thing - they can apply for all the student bank accounts and get the freebie that comes with each.
Watch out for scam emails selling fresher bands or tickets.
It seems mad to mention it now, but they start looking for 2nd yr accom ridiculously early - in October! There is no need as actually plenty of houses were/are still available for the coming academic year. The panic seems to be about being in a group for accom. But tell them there’s no need to panic. Most will find a group and sort it by the end of Nov and it’s prob better to wait a few weeks to be sure of the people. As parents you’ll be looking to provide the deposit (around £500) and will need to be guarantor. You can check with the agent if you become liable for the whole house rent or just your child. The latter is clearly better.

Sorry if some of this is jumping the gun when it’s still Aug, but hopefully useful info.

My son enjoyed Freshers but found it pretty full on as I think most do. There’s that sense you must go to everything and chat to everyone and be cheery and smiley all the time as there’s a fear of missing out. It’s a bit of a whirlwind. He said he liked it more once the course started and a bit of a routine started to emerge. Getting involved in sport or volunteering or whatever really helps too. And the college system is great. He was catered and found mealtimes gave a real structure to the day and helped a lot with socialising. Corridors or tentative and budding friendships would always need 3 meals so that was 3 easy times to arrange to meet up and easy way to share other friends or contacts they’d met.

Thanks @WombatChocolate that is a lot of very useful info.
We'll be spared the housing stress as DS is living back at home after 1st year, we're 10mins away so he won't miss out on much hopefully (I'm sure he'll make the most of being in the thick of it on the Bailey this year)

One of DS’s good friends was in college this year and is lobbing back at home locally for 2nd and 3rd. He is an honorary member of DS’s house and they’ve all said he can kip over anytime, so I think what you’re planning sounds lukewarm it works well for local people. I guess it’s what lots near London unis do.

Like it….not lukewarm!

My understanding is that Collingwood is all 28th.

Checking in! Dd will be studying English. Thanks for the heads up regarding hotel accommodation - I hadn't even thought about it.

DD has Trevs, she has signed up for early access (SN) so until we hear if she’s got that we have even less idea when we need to be there. She is very independent but is sharing stuff with me. Our latest worry is if she needs/wants to get some comfy black boots to go with the brown ones she lives in.

But good luck to everyone- it’s not long now.

Checking in - DS, engineering, Grey

Morning all, DS has just filled in a form to request a time slot for moving in, I think they ask for your car reg. so that the £5 road user charge is waived for parents dropping off on the Bailey.
We won a bottle of (cheap) wine at a pub quiz last night and DS has claimed it to start a freshers pre-drinks stash to take with him 😁
His main task today is wading through the huge amount of introduction stuff he can access now and find the spec for a new laptop; I don't think his current one will run engineering software.

Is anyone else still waiting on college confirmation?

Has your DC accepted their place (I think it was a click thru link on the results day email)?
DS confirmed acceptance straight away & got a welcome email from his college the next day. The room & moving in details arrived yesterday, it seems his college (Cuths) are quite speedy but clearing/insurance places might take a bit longer & it's early days yet

Yes, he has accepted his place immediately after getting his results. Wasn't clearing - it was his firm choice!

He was allocated to a really unpopular college after applying for Collingwood so it's unlikely it's full. Perhaps the college admin is a bit rubbish.

Everyone else seems to have their colleges confirmed and moving in dates and poor DS is left in limbo. And all the hotels will be booked up within a 100 mile radius by the time we hear. Sigh.

I think they are assumed to be confirmed at the college they were allocated